Device for use in moving bed patients



Aug. 5, 1969 M. M. comes DEVICE FOR USE IN MOVING BED PATIENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, 1968 I Fl II II ll i II II II II I 5, 1969 M. M. COMBS 3,458,878

DEVICE FOR USE IN MOVING BED PATIEI'J'ISv Filed Nov. 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 INVENTOR. MILFORD M CaMas ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,458,878 DEVICE FOR USE IN MOVING BED PATIENTS Milford M. Combs, 207 Bay St., Glens Falls, N.Y. 12801 Filed Nov. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 776,420 Int. Cl. A61g 7/06 U.S. Cl. --92 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for use in moving a bed patient, including an elongated main strap fitted with a buckle at one end thereof, said one end being securable to the side rail of a hospital bed. The central portion of the main strap is disposed beneath the patients hips, and by pulling the other strap end the patient can then be moved. A harness is provided for fitting the body of patients who cannot elevate their knees, and is detachably mountable on the main strap, and by grasping both ends of the main strap it can also be used as a sling to carry a patient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to devices for moving an invalid patient. More particularly, it relates to a simple strap and buckle structure that can be utilized by one person for the purpose of moving an invalid patient lying on a hospital bed, and which can also be utilized as a sling to transport or carry the patient.

Description of the prior art It is diflicult to move an invalid person lying on a bed, and yet it is frequently necessary to do so. The problem is the more acute when only a single attending person is available.

There have been devices conceived for moving a bed patient, but normally they involve complicated pulley and harness arrangements, and are difficult for many people to use. In addition, the cost of such devices frequently exeeeds the financial resources available.

There thus is a need for a simple device by which a bed patient can be moved about, one which is inexpensive and which can easily be used with any hospital bed. The present invention satisfies that need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present device includes an elongated main strap several feet in length, of narrow width at the ends and about five inches in width over the central portion. The main strap is made from two layers of vinyl plastic bound on the lateral edges, and the central portion thereof is padded. A buckle is received on one of the strap ends, for the purpose of securing said end to the erected side rail of the hospital bed upon which the patient is lying.

In use, the buckle end of the main strap is secured to the bed side rail, and the body of the strap is then placed under the buttocks of the patient. By merely pulling on the free end of the main strap the patient can then be moved upward on the bed.

When a patient is invalid to the extent that his knees cannot be raised, so that the body of the main strap cannot be seated on the buttocks, a special harness is provided and is slipped on the main strap. The harness fits in the groin area, and in elfect forms a saddle to move the patient.

The main strap can also be used apart from the bed as a sling to carry a patient. In this case the patient is seated on the central portion of the strap, and the oppo- 3,458,878 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 ice site ends thereof are then grasped by two persons who lift the patient and transport him. A back support strap is provided for use when needed on the sling formed by the main strap, and is merely slipped on said main strap.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a device that can be utilized by one person to move a patient lying on a hospital bed, and which is economical and involves no moving parts.

Another object is to provide a device that can also be utilized as a sling for carrying a patient.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following Description of the Preferred Embodiments, when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing the device of the invention in use to move a bed patient upwardly on his bed, the main st-rap being shown with the groin harness in place thereon;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary pictorial view showing the main strap, the buckle, and the groin harness;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing the construction of the main strap;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial view showing the device of the invention in use as a sling, with the back support strap in place thereon;

FIG. 5 is a side view similar to FIG. 1, showing the main strap in use without the groin harness; and

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are views progressively showing how the main strap is secured to the bed side rail.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, a hospital bed is indicated at 2 with a patient lying thereon, the bed 2 being of normal construction and including a mattress 4 and a side rail 6, one of the side rails 6 being in a down condition. Connected to the erect side rail 6 is one end of the main strap 8 of the present invention.

The main strap 8 is about seven feet in length, and is preferably made of two layers 10 and 12 of vinyl plastic, a material which is easily cleaned, soft and comformable to the patients body, and yet strong. The ends 14 and 16 of the main strap 8 are about two or three inches wide over a length of about one foot or more, and the central portion 18 of the strap is about five inches in width. Padding 20 is placed between the vinyl plastic strips 10 and 12 over at least the central portion of the main strap, and is secured as by sewing with thread 22. The lateral edges of the main strap are bound by vinyl edging 24 folded in a U-shape thereover, and sewn in place by thread 26. Glue or other suitable securing means can be used instead of the thread 22 and 26, if desired.

A conventional buckle 28 is slipped on one of the strap ends, say the end 16. The strap end 16 is secured to the side rail 6 as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the end 16 is passed under one of the horizontal members 30 of the rail 6, and then, as shown in FIG. 7, is wrapped twice thereabout. Finally, as shown in FIG. 8, the strap end 16 is inserted into the buckle 28. The wrapping of the strap end 16 thusly about the member 30, coupled with the soft, high friction surface inherent for the vinyl plastic material, holds the strap end 16 against sliding on the rail 30.

When the main strap 8 has thus been mounted on the bed side rail 6, it can be used to move a bed patient capable of bending his knees. This is shown in FIG. 5, wherein it is seen that the central portion 18 of the strap is placed under the buttocks of the patient, after which the attendant grasps the free strap end 14 and pulls to slide the patient upwardly in the bed.

When a patient cannot bend his knees so that the main strap 8 can be seated in the buttocks as in FIG. 5, the strap 8 is utilized in connection with a groin harness 32, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The harness 32 includes a groin strap 34 made of vinyl plastic in the same manner as the main strap 8, the groin strap comprising two strips of vinyl plastic 36 joined at their edges by U-shaped vinyl edging 38, there being padding (not shown) disposed between the strips 36 that is secured by criss-cross stitching 40. The opposite ends of the groin strap 34 are folded back and sewn in place to form loops 42 and 44.

The harness 32 also includes a cross strap 46 about 28 inches in length, formed like the straps 8 and 34 from two strips of vinyl plastic 48 secured together with U-shaped edging 50. Loops 52 and 54 are formed on the opposite ends of the cross strap 46, and padding (not shown) is disposed between the strips 48.

The manner in which the groin harness 32 is utilized is shown in FIG. 1. First, the end 16 of the main strap 8 is secured to the bed side rail 6. The loop 52 of the cross strap 46 is then slipped onto the strap 8, following which the loop 44 of the groin strap 34 is slipped onto said main strap. The central portion 18 of the main strap is then slipped under the patient at about waist level, and the groin strap 34 is positioned between the patients legs. The free end loop 42 of the groin strap 32 is then slipped onto the cross strap 46, following which the free end of the main strap 8 is passed through the loop 54 of the cross strap 46 to complete assembly of the harness. The patient can then be moved by grasping the free end 14 of the main strap 8, and pulling thereon toward the head of the bed 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates how the main strap 8 can be utilized as a sling. In this instance, the patient is seated on the central portion 18 of the main strap, and two attendants grasp the ends 14 and 16 to lift and carry the patient. The loop ends 52 and 54 of the cross strap 46 can he slipped on the main strap 8, and said strap 46 can be adjusted to form a back support strap for the patient.

The present device is economical to manufacture, and can be used with any hospital bed without requiring any modifications to or permanent fixtures on the bed. Further, a minimum of skill is required to use the device.

I claim:

1. A device for moving a patient lying on a bed, said bed having a mattress, a rail means on one side of said bed extending above the upper surface of said mattress, said device including: an elongated main strap several feet in length; a buckle slidably received on one end portion of said main strap and disposed several inches from the tip thereof, the portion of said one end portion outwardly of said buckle being adapted to be Wrapped about said side rail means, and the tip of said one end portion then being receivable by said buckle, said main strap being made of material that will cling to said side rail means to prevent sliding thereon; and a groin harness receivable on said main strap, said harness comprising: a cross strap having loops on the opposite ends thereof to receive said main strap; and a groin strap having loops on the opposite ends thereof, one of said groin strap loops being received on said cross strap, and the other groin strap loop being received on said main strap.

2. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein the opposite end portions of said main stra are about 2 to 3 inches in width, and the central portion thereof is about 5 inches in width.

3. A device as recited in claim 1, wherein said main strap, said cross strap, and said groin strap are each made of two overlying strips of material, the lateral edges of said strips having U-shaped edging received thereon and secured thereto.

4. A device as recited in claim 3, wherein padding is disposed between the strips comprising each of said main strap, said cross strap, and said groin strap.

5. A device as recited in claim 4, wherein said strips are all made of vinyl plastic.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,663,031 12/1953 Kaltholf 5-89 3,099,842 8/1963 Jensen 589 X 3,316,017 4/1967 Knight 297385 3,351,959 11/1967 Turpin 589 X 3,383,717 5/1968 Underwood 583 X 3,386,111 6/1968 Daniel 58l CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 5-81, 84 

